Blind Love
by HarinezumiRomance814
Summary: Some say love is blind, but can the blind learn to love? After an unfortunate incident that occurred on a mission, Shadow is left without his sight and in the care of his rival. But is being blind too much for the Ultimate Lifeform? And does this handicap in their relationship pave the way for something more? (Sonadow)
1. The First Thing Denied

**New story hope you like it. I haven't forgotten about "Shall We Dance?".**

 **Tanoshimimasu!**

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Chapter 1: The First thing Denied...

Shadow hid behind a large generator listening for movements from his target. The acrid smell of nasty dark blue and pink liquid chemicals perforated the air like a fog, but the dark agent didn't seem to care.

He had received briefing that one of the biggest crime lords was meeting up here with his gang to discuss a weapons deal. After all, what better place to negotiate than an old abandoned Eggman base where nobody would think to look.

Hover shoes became as silent as death as he moved with the grace of a leopard creeping around the area as voices started to come into earshot…

"Luther Lobo," it began smooth and low in tone, "These are some very fine tools you'll be coping from me today. You wouldn't by any chance tell me what you might have in store for them would you?" the male voice inquired.

The one answering who could only be assumed was Luther answered, "I'm afraid not. I enjoy a good chat when it comes to business but unfortunately I can't let this little secret slip out just yet."

Shadow carefully peeked around the a metal crate to get a better view of his target. Luther Lobo was a gray wolf wearing camo pants, boots and a black sleeveless hoodie. Crimson eyes gazed on with a calculated expression on his face as the gray wolf approached a smaller crate in front of him on a table.

"Tell me again exactly what this weapon is supposed to do? I want to confirm that I'm getting my money's worth," Luther asked running a large paw over what looked like gun sitting in the crate.

"It's a gun that uses a special chemical that Doctor Eggman actually created long ago called Mega Mack. It was designed to be poisonous enough to kill Sonic the Hedgehog himself but I made some adjustments to it." the other mobian a red coyote wearing circular shades and suit like clothing explained. "Its acidic, super thick, sticky and one drop is enough to kill at least a twenty people not to mention the fumes it emits when it comes into contact with the air for a certain amount of time can incapacitate as well leave victims with numerous amounts of symptoms."

Luther made a satisfied sound looking running a large paw over the bombs that would surely spray the deadly pink liquid everywhere when it went off.

Shadow quickly thought of what he had to do next. This weaponizing of Mega Mack sounded like it could be problematic even for him if he wasn't careful. A swift takedown of both Luther and his associate would ensure that this mission wasn't even more difficult than he anticipated or so he thought…

While the two criminals were busy discussing prices and quantities, the charcoal hedgehog could easily make out the figure of a blue hedgehog who had seemed to be listening in on the conversation as well. Shadow face palmed knowing the idiot would most likely do something reckless to grab their attention. Without being noticed he made his way over to an oblvious blue hedgehog, placing his hand around a fawn colored muzzle as he dragged Sonic away as quickly and quietly as possible.

"Mmph! Mmph!" were the noises he made as the blue hero struggled in the firm grasp of his rival, panic from being handled from behind driving him to resist.

"Will you stop fidgeting so much? Its me.," Shadow hissed as Sonic began settling down. When the gloved hand around his mouth had been removed Sonic stood up straight and looked at the GUN agent standing in front of him.

"Shadow? What are you doing here?" the blue hedgehog asked clearly surprised to find his rival here.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied smoothly adjusting his gloves while looking back over the railing to make sure that his two targets hadn't moved.

"Tails said he got a signal that someone may be here and I came over to make sure nothing suspicious was going on." when he received the raised eyebrow expression he quickly continued his explanation. "We also have a way of knowing when someone comes into the bases and starts messing with the machinery. It's a precaution we take so we can be aware of when or if Eggman decides to go back to one of his old bases."

Sonic came to stand beside Shadow also casting his gaze to the two mobians below, "So let me guess, GUN's got you running errands to bust a couple of heads so they can mark something off in their BIngo Book."

"That it is one way to put it yes. Now if you'll be so kind as to let me finish up here, I do have other appointments to attend to," he said leaping down with quiet grace making sure he hadn't been spotted. Several more weapons had been taken out of the crates they were placed in and Shadow grimaced.

Luther Lobo had a device strapped to his entire arm. It had containers strapped around his biceps containing the deadly Mega Mack and went down to his hand where it fit like a glove with small nozzles on each finger. It looked like it might allow him to shoot the substance from his fingers with deadly accuracy and he was.

Luther was aiming his hand at a crate with black spray painted circles sprayed on it. He twitched his index finger and a fast squirt of the pink liquid was shot from his hand and nearly landed a bullseye. Shadow watched as the Mega Mack made a hissing sound as its acidic properties ate through the wood.

"Woah I don't remember that stuff doing that the last time I took a dip in it," Sonic said standing right behind Shadow once more.

"Which makes it all the more important for me to do something about it before he starts trouble," and just as he finished his sentence he was almost surprised as the large gray wolf turned around to look him straight in the eyes before aiming the device and shooting. It was only thanks to the two speedsters quick reflexes that the dodged the killer chemical.

Forced out of hiding the two hedgehogs tensed as they saw figures moving all around the darkest places of the old chemical plant.

"Damn it," Shadow cursed as he instinctively stood back to back with his rival as they were quickly surrounded by thugs in black attire.

"I don't know if you two were just so full of yourself that you thought this was gonna be easy or if you're plain stupid. Did you honestly think I would be willing to make a deal like this without someone watching for nosy runts like you. I don't care if you are heroes with fancy powers, one drop of this and you're done," Luther said aiming the device at the two hedgehogs.

"You take out the thugs and I'll handle the wolf got it?" he said sprinting off before Sonic could answer.

"What?! Shadow!" he groaned and began attacking the first guy who was stupid enough to think he could get a kick in on the fastest thing alive.

Luther kept shooting controlled squirts of pink chemical at the charcoal hedgehog but hover shoes made his task very daunting. Shadow weaved left and right towards the wolf without fear charging energy in his palm to prepare a chaos spear.

Luther cursed and threw himself behind a crate near his associate who was currently in the process of gather his belongings to escape. "Hey where do you think your going?"

"I'm leaving. If you live I'll send you the bill but, I'm not taking any chances with GUN's homicidal military hog," the coyote said already beginning to crawl away using various objects for cover.

Luther Lobo growled at his associates cowardly behaviour but had to put his aggression on hold as a pair of crimson orbs began bearing down on him. He scrambled to his feet and attempted raise the weapon once more but the distance was too short and he was too slow. Shadow was on him in an instant grabbing his hand and pointing it away while he punched the gray wolf ferociously in the jaw. Luther was cleanly knocked out and fell backward, the only thing holding him up was the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow looked over his shoulder to find that Sonic was tying rope around the hands of the thugs who hardly gave him a challenge.

Shadow began removing the glove like weapon from the wolf making sure Luther was nowhere near it. He tapped a button on his wrist communicator requesting pick up for Lobo and his men.

"What a shame. I can't even call this an afternoon workout. Good help must be so hard to find these days," Sonic joked. He looked over to see someone moving behind the crate. In a all or nothing effort one of the thugs Sonic had missed was holding the Mega Mack gun and Shadow looked up just in time to move out of the way while Sonic knocked the attacker out.

"Whoops must of missed one," he said as he subdued the bold but not very smart thug. Unfortunately this little distraction was all a certain gray wolf needed. The hedgehog thought he had been knocked out but, he had managed to hold on to consciousness just enough to grasp a small cylindrical container filled with Mega Mack that had rolled away during all the commotion. And as fast as he could manage he opened the container and threw the contents at the nearest hedgehog.

Shadow was stunned that Lobo wasn't unconscious but he wasn't for long as the pink liquid splashed right in his face and he screamed. "Ahhhhhhhh!"

The sound of acid melting flesh could be heard as the black hedgehog flailed around in pain. He smashed his shoulder into the nearest crate needing some kind of feeling to interrupt the pain. His eyes felt like they had been placed in boiling hot water and he couldn't stop his screams as the pain attacked such a delicate area.

"Shadow!" Sonic had rushed to his side unsure of how to best aid his rival. He quickly looked around catching sight of a water pump nearby most likely used to flush chemicals from certain pipes after use. He took Shadow by the arm his sense of worry growing as the poor agents arms and gloves were becoming soiled with blood. He lead the Ultimate Lifeform over to the pump and with a strong kick dented the pump as water squirted out from the increased pressure. He made sure Shadow was in the stream of water and watched as pink chemicals and blood mixed with water dripped down the muzzle of the agent. The black hedgehog was still covering his face so you couldn't see the damage done but at least his screaming had stopped.

Sonic knelt down next to the doubled over hedgehog placing a hand on his back. "Shadow are you alright?" he asked tentatively. He received no response so he continued to kneel by the other and offer some support. After a few more minutes Shadow wordlessly sat up to face Sonic. The blue hero then got his first look at the damage done to the agents face. It wasn't pretty…

Shadow's eyes were still closed but the fur and some of the skin on most of his face had been taken off. There were places where blisters and horrible open sores where the acid had eaten away the thin skin of his face down to the blood vessels and were causing them to ooze blood. It was awful sight and Sonic resisted the urge to gag glad that Shadow couldn't see the face he was making at that moment.

"How bad is it?" Shadow managed to say trying to minimize using the horribly scarred muscles in his face as they caused even more pain.

"Well you won't be winning any beauty contests soon thats for sure," the blue hero responded trying to add some humour into the situation. The agent would have made a face at Sonic's stupid comment but he was in far too much pain to do even that.

"Where's Luther?" he asked trying to change the subject. Sonic's eyes lit up as he realized they hadn't made sure to tie Luther up and that he probably hadn't gone far.

"I'll be right back. Will you be ok until then?"

"Yes go catch him before that idiot gets away," he said in a slightly irritated manner and Sonic was glad that even when he was in pain the black hedgehog was still able to show annoyance.

All Shadow heard were rapid footsteps, fakers footsteps as he rushed away to catch Lobo. In the brief silence that followed Shadow tried to open his eyes a bit despite the stinging and the blood dripping into his eyes. He saw darkness and thought that perhaps he was just in a dark area of the plant but then remembered that even if he was the area he was in was still lit enough for him to be able to see something. He tried blinking a bit but he still saw nothing. He moved his eyes from side to side but darkness merely continued to embrace him. It was only for an instant but, fear came to greet him in this darkness. He cast it away quickly. He was Shadow the Ultimate Lifeform. His speed healing would make all of this a fading memory. He wasn't blinded for life after all, he reassured himself.

Sonic came back minutes later filing the silence with the sound of his footsteps. He heard a muffled groan and assumed that he had brought Lobo in tow. "I'm back. Did you miss me?"

Shadow merely grunted to acknowledge the other's presence but then turned his head in the direction of what sounded like muffled laughing. It was Lobo snickering at his fine handy work looking at the scarred bloody face of the agent responsible for bringing him in. He may have been caught but at least he could savor the fact that he had managed to cause Shadow so much pain. It would be a prison story he would pridefully share for many years.

Sonic glared in the direction of the wolf but quickly chose to ignore the criminal and focus on his rival. On his way back he had managed to find some decently clean cloth and as gently as he could manage began dabbing the others face with its wetness.

Shadow recoiled in surprise at the gesture and managed to grab the wrist of the hero. "Relax Shads I'm only trying to help," he said and his wrist was released. Sonic was careful not to rub the burns but dab to keep so much blood from dripping out, still not sure how he could help the other until GUN arrived.

The ebony hedgehog on the other hand eventually became annoyed by the others actions and snatched the cloth away holding it to his face. Sonic said nothing and watched the other with a blank expression for a moment. Then he sighed and sat down beside the other with his knees drawn up in silence.

G.U.N. arrived ten minutes later…

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 **Happy Holidays.**

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	2. The Damage Done

**Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Better get those New Year's Resolutions in up. I certainly have some of my own to try and stick to.**

 **Also thanks to everyone for the amount of reviews, follows, and favorites that I have gotten from just the first chapter. HOLY MOLY! If I can get that much attention from this fic then if you guys stick me with me I've got two more stories planned longer and more exciting than this one. But for now I hope this sonadow can be fresh to you in a way others haven't. Also I had trouble finding a good name for this one but just as a reminder this story is about Shadow coping with blindness in the care of his rival.**

 **Tanoshimimasu!**

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Chapter 2: The Damage Done

Emerald eyes gazed at the amount of people in the hospitals waiting room with a bored expression. He had been sitting there for hours but, he didn't dare leave. It had been three days since the incident at the chemical plant and he had stopped by and sat in the waiting room each day for hours hoping to hear something about how his rival was doing. Rouge pretty frequently visited too though she didn't have quite as much time to stick around for as long as he did.

He couldn't help but feel a bit responsible for the condition the ebony hedgehog was in. He had been about five feet from him when it happened and yet he felt that he _let_ it happen. It was bothering him and until he knew what Shadow's condition was, he wouldn't be able to get over it.

"Mr. Hedgehog?" a human doctor called as he looked up. He stood and followed the doctor who motioned him to come along.

"How is he?" he asked as he tensed for the answer.

"Better than what you think," he responded giving him a small smile. When they reached the agent's room, Sonic was quick to notice the large amount of gauze covering the other's face. He stepped closer to the bed seeing the rise and fall of the others chest. Black ears twitched upon their entry as the doctor pulled out a clipboard before speaking again.

"Shadow can you hear me?" the human doctor asked reviewing the info on the clipboard.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"I have some good news and bad news," he began. "The good news is that your healing factor will allow you to make a full recovery, in fact there are parts of your face that have already healed to such an extent that the scars have almost fully vanished and the fur is growing back over it." Then he paused. "The bad news is that the damage to your eyes is so extensive that they will take considerably longer to heal even with your speed healing. But even with the eyes being such a delicate structure, you are very fortunate that the blindness is only temporary. You should get your sight back within a few months." the doctor finished explaining.

"He'll be blind for several months?" Sonic inquired imagining how hard it might be for the other to have to adjust to not using his eyes. This bit of information wasn't helping his guilt at all. Shadow's ears perked again recognizing the voice for the first time in the past three days.

"Sonic?" he spoke voice croaking from little use.

"Yes, Sonic is in the room with us. He's been here everyday waiting to see if you were alright," the doctor answered. "I'll let your colleague know you're awake," he said before stepping out to leave the two alone.

The two were left in silence again as the blue hero searched for the right words to say. However, whatever thought he may have managed to piece together would be put on hold as the injured hedgehog spoke first.

"So you've been waiting to see me for the past few days?" he asked offhandedly feeling awkward because he was the one to start a conversation.

"Yeah, I actually had something I wanted to say to you since the accident," he admitted. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened back at the chemical plant. I feel like I was partially responsible for this and-" he was cut off by a rather loud snort.

"Faker your reasoning is seriously flawed, as per usual. If you feel responsible for what happened then perhaps you need a check-up yourself," he stated matter of factly. "It's my own fault for what happened. I should have made sure I knocked Lobo completely out and I didn't."

After that the hero went silent although he did feel like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He still hated what happened but hearing Shadow say it wasn't his fault made him feel a lot better.

Shadow on the other hand was struggling to deal with the turmoil slowly making itself known the more he thought about it. He was going to be blind, _blind._ How was he supposed to make it through the next few months like this. He couldn't read, he couldn't write, he sure couldn't fight which meant no missions anytime soon, and worst of all unless he learned to used his other sense to get around and do things, he was going to constantly need help. This meant he was going to need someone in his presence constantly doing things for him like he was a small helpless child. He gritted his teeth frustratingly not looking forward to giving up his privacy (and honestly his sanity) because of his handicap.

Over the next hour the blue blur tried to keep up the conversation by reminiscing about how far their rivalry had come since they first fought. From time to time Shadow would give short concise answers in an effort to end the conversation but part of him was actually glad the other stayed to talk since it took his mind off of coping with his blindness at the moment. Rouge eventually came by later.

"Shadow!" she said walking over to the black hedgehog whose face was still covered in gauze, "The doc told me you're going to make a full recovery even though you'll be blind for a while. I think this is probably the worst injury I've seen you with in while hun. So how are you feeling?"

"About as great as someone who had there face burned off with acid and blinded can be," Sonic snickered at the agents dry humor and Rouge couldn't help but give a laugh herself.

"Well at least I can be assured that your personality is still intact," she said. "You know the doc said you can leave today since most of the severe burns seemed to have healed up for the most part. After all I know how much you'd love to stay here and listen blue flap his lips in your ear for several more hours," she teased.

"Hey! I'm not that much of bore am I?" he asked in mock hurt.

Shadow slowly sat up in the bed already removing some of the thick gauze from his face but being careful to leave the gauze covering his eyes alone. Sonic and Rouge grimaced a bit at the parts of Shadow's face that hadn't fully healed yet. The scaring had shrunk down to the area around his eyes from what they could see, but it was still very noticeable especially on the top part of his muzzle where it stretched downward under each eye like jagged tears. Both mobians were grateful that gauze was covering the rest of the injury.

A black and red striped hand went up to touch his face. He felt the fabric texture of the gauze before gently dragging his fingers down to feel the rough scabs of the scars stretching down his muzzle. There was a dull pain there and he mentally cursed the fact that he couldn't even look in a mirror to see his mutilated complexion no matter how horrible it may be.

This was the second thing denied to him.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed to stand and Sonic and Rouge were immediately by his side. "Where are my gloves and shoes?" he demanded.

"Well someone's eager to leave, I'll go tell doc you're ready to go," he heard the blue hedgehog say before walking off.

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Getting the blind hedgehog home was a bit of a chore. He refused to take a blind walking stick (although Sonic took it for him anyway). He wasn't too thrilled to have to hold on to anyone while he walked and he was definitely against being carried home. It was like trying to talk to a stubborn child who was in the middle of throwing a tantrum. Eventually the stubborn hedgehog settled for the hero holding on to his arm while they ran keeping their pace considerably slower.

"Thanks for the help big blue, we _both_ appreciate it," the albino bat said now that Shadow had been escorted home.

"No problem, I'll make sure to come and check on him while he recovers," Sonic said handing the walking stick to the bat. After he left Rouge turned her attention to her teammate sitting as still as a statue with his arms crossed against his chest. He seemed to have acquired a rather foul mood but after whats happened in the past few days it's understandable.

"Hey hun, Blue's gone, I can spend the rest of the day to help you with anything," she said knowing Shadow would need all the help he can get right now. She walked around the couch to sit beside him.

"I don't need you or faker to babysit me," he said almost under his breath. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Shadow was more than a little peeved about his problem.

"Look Shadow," she began placing a hand lightly on his shoulder watching as his ear flicked at her tone. "I already know how hard this is gonna be for you since you're such a stickler for your privacy and independence but for the rest of this time you're blind you should really try to be more cooperative with Sonic and I, after all we're just trying to help."

The black hedgehog merely sighed. "You don't understand how much this affects me Rouge. On the Ark there were only two people who respected my right as an independent individual. All the other scientists hardly gave me an inch. If they weren't treating me like a dumb animal that needed a leash they were treating me like a dumb child who wasn't intelligent enough to make my own decisions." He clenched his hands recalling another not so fond memory. "And as if that wasn't bad enough G.U.N. hardly treated me any better and their constant need to watch my every move for fear that I would turn on them was irritating. I don't like having some of the simple things that define me as more than an experiment being taken away."

After his small speech Rouge felt that she finally understood why Shadow was so upset about this. Of course anyone would be upset if they were blinded and unable to do simple tasks like make coffee or read normally but she never realized how much meaning the simple things had for the Ultimate Lifeform.

" _You learn something new everyday,"_ she thought.

"I see. Well I might not have been able to talk you out your bad mood but maybe I'll have better success in the kitchen. What are you in the mood for handsome?" she asked the flirtatious smile making its way back on her face.

"Tea. Chamomile with honey. That's all." Shadow stood and brushed his fingers along the length of the couch as he walked relying on the memory of the layout of the things in the house to keep from bumping into anything. As he sat at the small table in the kitchen he listened to the sounds of Rouge opening the cabinet and preparing the tea. As it boiled he took in the scent of the chamomile and breathed in deep. It was pleasant and calming and the sensual stimulation was comforting now that he was blind.

In fact Shadow had also picked up a different scent amongst the chamomile. It smelled of perfume the strong kind that didn't smell exactly like flowers or something sweet but was still pleasant enough to not be overwhelming. He took a few moments to ponder where it was coming from before he realized it was Rouge. Oddly enough he began making a comparison between the description of the scent and Rouge herself. The ebony hedgehog had also thought of her as someone who makes an impression but has enough class and modesty to still be a good friend.

Strange, he was beginning to associate a person's personality with scent already.

"Here's your tea," the bat said sliding the steaming hot cup in front of the blind hedgehog. He gingerly picked up the cup feeling the heat seep into his hand and took a sip.

If nothing else these next few months were definitely going to be anything but boring.

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 **Short chapter but there is much more in store ahead.**


	3. Lean On Me?

**Reviews**

 **ShadowIsSexyNo: I like your pen name btw. I'm glad I've become your favorite. If you stick with me I've got a couple of other stories that will be even better.**

 **jessicashadow: Yes, I figured it would make us all happy inside to see him make a full recovery, after all he is the ultimate lifeform.**

 **GeminiMercedes: I'm happy you enjoy this idea. I haven't really seen any other sonadows go this route and if they do it's not very long or very well written usually.**

 **Tanoshimimasu!**

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Chapter 3: Lean on Me?

The next morning Shadow woke up in his bed and for a moment wondered why the room was dark until a dull throbbing from his face reminded him of the reason. He sighed and lightly touched the bandages covering his eyes. He would need to change them later.

Having no sight encouraged him to use his other senses on a more focused level and that's exactly what he did when he heard someone in the kitchen downstairs. He carefully moved out of bed and managed his daily routine through memory placement of certain items and his ability to feel around for others. When he made it down the stairs, the scent of coffee and breakfast assaulted his nose.

" _It's pretty early for Rouge to be here"_ he thought silently _._

"Good morning Shads", came a rather cheery voice echoing from the kitchen along with the smell of eggs and bacon.

"Sonic?! What are you doing in my kitchen or my house at all for that reason," growled the dark hero demanding an explanation immediately.

"Didn't Rouge tell you?" he began, as his attention moved back to the skillet he was cooking in, "Rouge wanted me to stay over and look after you while your eyes heal."

"I don't need a babysitter and I certainly wouldn't be able to put up with you for several more months," Shadow replied. He was more than a little peeved that the bat had asked his rival to stay especially when he imagined all the opportunities he was sure the blue hedgehog would take to mock him for being so dysfunctional for the time being.

"Too little too late. I already moved my stuff over and you know I could never leave you so vulnerable even in your own house," he said as he finished making breakfast.

The ebony hedgehog growled. He wanted to do something about the situation he was stuck in, but he was at a loss for what he could do other than try and glare in the direction of the other.

"How about you stop trying to bear down on my soul with your decommissioned death rays and have breakfast to me. I did go through all the trouble to cook it," he teased setting down the plates.

Shadow was reluctant to do so and even wondered if he should snap back with some kind or remark to shut the other up but, decided against it. After the two finished eating breakfast, Sonic sat on the couch and began watching TV. Shadow was at a loss for what to do as he stood behind the couch. His first thought would be to grab a book and lounge around but that option was obviously not available to him anymore. He settled for plopping down on the other end of the couch across from Sonic.

"So, what do you like to do around here?" the blue hero asked as he went surfing through channels with little interest.

"Nothing you would want any part of," he answered hoping the conversation would end with that but, of course lady luck wasn't doing him any favors at the moment. If Shadow did have his sight however, he would've noticed the glances the blue hedgehog was giving to the not so decorated living room only for his eyes to light up with a bit of mischievousness as he reached for the object of his attention.

"So let me guess you read books like...Unwind?" he spoke and Shadow heard the noise of flipping through pages.

"Leave my stuff alone faker. I couldn't read even if I wanted to."

"I think I can make this interesting..." Sonic mumbled under his breath. "How about I read a story to poor old shadzy. It'll be just like reading a bedtime story to- "

"No, now put the book down before you tear it up," the black hedgehog said feeling irritation seep back into his being.

"Hmm, well ya see, I would but there are some pretty questionable sections in this book. You been holding out on me Shadz?" he responded flipping another couple of pages. And it was at that very moment that Shadow lunged for the book or any part of Sonic's hand he could grab.

"I told you to put it down because I'm not going to let you read to me like a small child!" he practically yelled feeling his hand make contact with another body. He quickly assessed his position and tried grabbing one of Sonic's wrists hoping it was the one holding the book. Unfortunately Sonic was smart and quick and everytime Shadow reached for one wrist he would just grab the book with his other hand. It took a few moments of scrabbling for Shadow to realize he kept changing which hand the book was in.

"You know this is almost kinda sad," the azure hedgehog smirked body weighed down by the other leaning over him reaching but never quite getting what he reached for.

Still feeling in a teasing mood he placed the book down on the floor and smirked harder as Shadow continued trying to grab the book. When the dark agent eventually got a hold of both of his rivals wrists, he could barely suppress a growl.

"What did you do with it?"

"It's been on the floor," he began to snicker a bit but quickly settled down thinking maybe that was enough of teasing the blind hedgehog for today.

Shadow simply removed himself from his caretakers space and let his fingers guide him to the book on the floor. He then proceeded to keep it within close proximity to him after he returned to his side of the couch.

"So I guess that really is a no on the 'Evening Time Story'?" He had to get the last bit of the tease out of his system. Shadow simply decided not to respond.

"That wasn't funny faker," the dark agent intoned after a few moments.

"Why? Am I not allowed to look for ways to keep you entertained?" he asked a bit more genuinely. He may have been teasing but he serious about reading the book to the other if he really wanted him to. The hero may not have known how the other spends every second of the day but, he knew that Shadow would have a hard time filling his days with things to keep him busy with his new handicap.

"I can't see. You used that against me." It almost sounded like he was gritting his teeth as he verbally announced his weakness. To Shadow it was near painful and the little scuffle they just had only served to remind him of it. "You wouldn't be so eager to mess around if you were in my position," he added.

Sonic was quick to catch the note of bitterness in the others statement. "You're right I probably wouldn't but, at least I wouldn't shoot snarky remarks and push people away who are trying to be sympathetic to me," Sonic said quick to counter. He knew taking care of the other was going to be hard because Shadow can be just prideful as he is but he hoped that the blindness would change the usual brand antisocial behavior just a bit. If this is how Shadow was going to act for the next few months he was going to have to make it clear that he wasn't going to stand for it.

"Your sympathy is wasted on me then. Pitying me will not change anything nor will it change how I feel," he said as a old memory suddenly came back to him. He almost marveled at how much detail he could remember. It was almost like without his sight he was forced to look deeper into his mind when remembering something. The memory however didn't leave him with pleasant feelings and he shook his head slightly to clear it.

"It's not about whether or not it'll change how you feel about it so much as it's simply the natural thing to do when someone you know gets hurt." Sonic wasn't fond of Shadow acting like other people's concern for him was unnecessary. It's always been like this and he shouldn't be surprised but…

 _If someone doesn't care will he stop caring about himself?_

It was that very thought that was starting to piss the blue blur off. He put up with his rivals lack of gratitude acceptance of small things like this in the past because he thought that maybe it was just a personality trait of the other. But now that he's in a position where he could have trouble with even the simplest tasks, he wanted to be there for him. Why couldn't he just lean on him for awhile...just this once?

"I don't feel like putting up with this right now. I'm going to be in my room for the rest today and if you're smart you'll leave me alone," his threat lingered in the air but unfortunately made a sprint for the front door as he walked right into a wall seconds later. He cursed rather loudly and rubbed his face that had started to throb and made his way up the stairs.

Sonic just watched him go back up the stairs before trying to focus on the TV but, it was more like the TV was watching him rather than he was watching it. He was a little hot over the blind hedgehog's comment about sympathy being wasted on him. He decided he wouldn't disturb the other though knowing they should let the sparks of what could have been a much nastier argument die down.

* * *

 **A few hours later…**

A lithe blue body stretched as it sat up from the couch. Sonic had decided to kill time by taking a nap and a good nap it was. He checked the time and realized it was a little past six and almost pitch black outside.

 _Come to think of it, it has been getting colder outside. Guess fall is about to be in full swing soon._

Shoving that thought to the back of his mind he decided he should check on his rival. Surely by now he was in a better mood for socializing.

As he neared the door he noticed it was closed and small noises could be heard from the other side. Fully awakened now by his curiosity, he stopped to listen for a bit. It sounded like hissing and gasping. He could just barely make out the other's voice sounding like he was trying to hold back pain.

"Shadow?" he called a bit of concern seeping into his voice as he slowly opened the door. He walked in only to find that the other was in his bathroom, door just slightly ajar.

Now he understood why the other had been making so many pained noises. The ebony hedgehog was struggling to change his bandages. Some of the wounds had bled a bit and congealed on the short fur of his face. Every time he tried to pull the gauze off the sticky blood tugged at his fur and skin slightly. It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact the severely damaged skin was rendered extra sensitive while it healed especially over his eyes.

"Here let me help you with that," Sonic said gently placing his hand on the others shoulder to turn him in his direction. The contact nearly startled him. He had been so distracted by the pain of his injury that he hadn't even heard the other come in.

"I can do it myself," he insisted, but, rather than try and argue with that statement Sonic simply removed his gloves, grabbed a towel, and wet it gently. He began dabbing in the area where the gauze was still sticking to fur loosening up the sticky blood there while the dark hedgehog slowly pulled the rest of the stained material off. He was grateful to be able to remove the gauze quickly without too much more pain but he didn't want Sonic to see his relief.

"You could have asked me to help you ya know," he spoke offhandedly knowing that the other probably wouldn't have asked him unless he was on the verge of screaming in pain.

Shadow stood tight lipped, and somewhat stiff keeping his eyes that were no longer covered closed tightly. His face was stinging as fresh air made contact with his open wounds but, he refused to show how much it hurt. He listened as Sonic turned on the faucet and began rinsing the towel out of blood. When Sonic began gently washing the agents face he was stopped by a firm hand grasping his wrist.

"I'll manage the rest on my own faker," he said in a surprisingly calm tone. The azure hedgehog merely pushed his hand away ignoring him.

"Shadow do me a favor will you? Please shut up and let me finish," he said just a bit playfully but still serious. "You can feel your wounds but you can't see them and this will go a lot faster if I take care of it."

It was hard to argue with those words and he slowly let his hand fall back to his side hoping they could just get this over with. Sonic gently placed his warm hand under the black hedgehog's chin to hold it while his other hand continued cleaning his face. It was painful but at least the other was trying to be as gentle as possible.

The more Sonic cleaned the still slightly mangled flesh the more he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the other. Washing off the blood allowed him to see the exposed skin underneath and he knew if he were the one injured, he wouldn't take this so lightly.

"I'm going to apply the salve next," he announced as the other continued to be silent. When his rivals cold fingers covered in salve touched his face, he shivered. Two fawn fingers traced the outer edges of the burn and the pain began to slowly ebb away. Shadow tried not to fidget as light fingers touched the back of eyelids and trailed down to his muzzle.

The blue hero's hand moved toward the jagged tear shaped scars under the others eyes and rubbed them lightly with his thumbs. The dark discoloration almost made it seem as if the other hedgehog was in a permanent state of crying.

Shadow tried to resist the urge to sigh as the light touches were becoming more enjoyable by the second when accompanied with the relief rather than stinging. Luckily he caught himself before he did something he would regret later. "Faker are you almost done?" he asked a bit breathlessly.

"Hmm? Oh yeah I'm done, I just need to put the bandages on," he responded. Sonic had gotten so carried away with applying the salve that he hadn't realized how much he had stopped to examine the scars.

It didn't take long for him to re-wrap the wound to how it was before making sure it wasn't too tight. "How do ya feel?"

Shadow ran his fingers down his newly wrapped face down to his muzzle, a habit that was quickly forming and would continue to for the next few months.

Emerald eyes watched him with a bit of interest. His expression was blank but there was no doubt he felt something seeing the others slight yet understandable gestures.

"It's fine...thank you," he said after a moment.

The blue blurs expression lit up similar to one of his usual smirks, "Good. Now why don't you come down and tell me what you want to eat because I'm starving. FYI though I'm no chef so how does a chili dog sound?"

* * *

 **Hope this came out ok. I struggled a bit write the first half of the chapter. I love hearing your reviews.**


	4. Sympathy For the Stubborn

**I'm still really excited about all the people who have been enjoying the story. This chapter should have come out earlier but since its more of an in between chapter where much doesn't happen, I kinda struggled to write a satisfying ending. The next chapter will definitely be more interesting though. I'm also glad that I do all my chapters in google docs because my computer spontaneously decided that I am not allowed to use browsers anymore. Luckily I have other devices to post chapters with and as long as I have internet I can always access chapters and will never lose them.**

 **Tanoshimimasu!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Sympathy for the Stubborn

Sonic was in the kitchen cooking breakfast as the morning began to drag on. The blue blur was busy chatting about something unimportant to break the silence that would surely fall over them.

Shadow barely responded, more caught up in his thoughts than anything else. He thought back to yesterday when the blue hedgehog helped him replace the bandages on his face. For some reason the thought of imagining how intimate and gentle the other could be was foreign to him. He knew that Sonic would be kind and considerate (when he's not teasing) sometimes even overwhelmingly so for his enemies, but having those emotions being shown to him was different.

Normally he receives a lot of Sonic's smart mouth, his jokes, his trash talk when they spar, and the occasional bit of sympathy whenever his life on the Ark or Maria is brought up. Last night was the first time he received more than that from his rival.

He wouldn't admit that in the back of his mind that small act of kindness meant something to him but, he definitely couldn't deny the feeling.

He listened to faker go on and on about one of Tail's inventions that nearly destroyed their house with little interest thinking of what it would be like to have the blue hero offer his assistance again in a similar manner. He could never be so open and willing to help others when there was a fear of being taken advantage of. You could call it pessimism or perhaps paranoia but for Shadow it was just logical, his calm and calculating mind running simulations of scenarios with people he didn't know very well. The fact that G.U.N tried to use him as a tool and the fact that the last person he opened up to fully was killed also may have had something to do with this way of thinking.

"Sonic, don't you ever worry that someone could take advantage of you when you show them kindness?" the blind hedgehog thought offhandedly interrupting whatever ramble the other was in the middle of.

"Huh?" Sonic said taken a bit off guard by the sudden interest of the other to question his sense of morality or rather loyalty to it. He stopped making breakfast to look at the others face prepared to stare into crimson eyes but failing as those red orbs were still covered. Reading Shadow's expression was a little harder with all the bandages covering most of his face. The black hedgehog's silence in anticipation of a response only encouraged the blue hero to answer his question.

Sonic paused for a moment to put his thoughts together in the best way he could think of. "Well it's certainly something I tend to think about. I've certainly shown Eggman mercy just about every opportunity I get regardless of all the trouble he causes for me and everyone else. But...always being paranoid or pessimistic of everyone's actions good or evil just isn't something I want to do. In other words it's easier for me to try and forgive someone then go around thinking the whole world is out to get me or take advantage of me. Does that make any sense?"

Shadow thought on his rivals response seeming satisfied with the answer but not because he believed the same thing but, rather felt that it would be typical of something Sonic would say. "I suppose that does make sense," he said more to himself than anyone.

"Why did you ask?" the blue hedgehog inquired curious about the others state of mind.

"Your burning our breakfast," the dark agent decided to respond instead before taking a sip of coffee. What followed afterward was various curses and scrambling to make amends for the burnt food. Eventually the other sat down with a heavy sigh in make of his blackened breakfast.

"Nice Shadow, you get philosophical on me for two seconds and this happens," he said with a bit of playfulness.

The rest of the morning carried on with this light atmosphere, and once the afternoon came, Sonic once again asked if there was anything he wanted or rather needed to do. But again the ebony hedgehog was reluctant to get any help. At this point even Shadow himself was getting bored. He had never felt quite as awkward as he did now with absolutely nothing to do to pass the time and he didn't feel like starting up a conversation with the other. However, it wasn't long to his fortune or perhaps misfortune that some unlikely visitors came to break his boredom.

Shadow hadn't been notified that anyone would be giving him a visit other than maybe Rouge who would worry about him as much as Sonic did so when the blue blur had gotten up to answer the door he listened very carefully.

"Hey guys-Amy!" he heard his rival protest what he could only assume to be the usual death hug administered by the only pink hedgehog he knew.

"Oh Sonic it feels like I haven't seen you in forever!" she said not willing to let go of a blue and peach furred waist anytime soon.

"Amy it's only been a week, now could you please get off me?"

While Sonic made noises suggesting he was struggling to pry the pink menace off, the blind hedgehog picked up on several more pairs of footsteps that entered the room. He also took in the barrage of new scents to enter the room, one of which was very familiar and smelled a bit like expensive perfume.

"Rouge?" he asked as he continued to familiarize himself with the scent.

"Hi hun. I know you typically don't like crowds but I think you'll have to make an exception for this one."

"Who else is here?" he demanded not wanting to entertain the idea that he was surrounded by several people inside his own house.

"Hello Mr. Shadow! I hope you're feeling ok. It's me Cream and Cheese," a cheery voice said with a "Chao chao!" to follow. "Tails, Mr. Knuckles, and Ms. Amy are here too."

Before Shadow could respond with a rather sour answer he heard a pair of footsteps come near him and a deeper voice speak. "Oh man you really are blind," he heard it say bluntly. The black hedgehog merely growled low under his breath and if he had his sight he would've seen two pairs of teal and emerald eyes shooting said blunt Echidna death rays.

"What are you all doing in my house?" he demanded before turning to shoot what would have been daggers in the general direction Sonic was in. "Faker if I found out you've had something to do with this I'll-"

"Hey cool it I'm not the one who asked them over! As a matter of fact why are you all over here anyway?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Sonic, I'm kinda to blame for that," Tails said scratching behind his ear, a nervous habit he picked up from his brother.

"Amy wanted to know where you'd been and why you haven't been there all week and she made me tell her where you'd gone..." the yellow kitsune had started twiddling his fingers as his two tails lowered behind him in shame.

"That's right and I'm not ashamed either," the pink hedgehog said when Sonic gave her a look. "I mean a girl should be entitled to know where her boyfriend's been right?" Rouge simply started to snicker and Knuckles gave him a smug grin. "And besides I wouldn't have been able to get Shadow a gift if Tails hadn't told me."

"That's not funny..." Sonic muttered more to himself watching the bat and the Echidna take amusement out of this. "Anyway that doesn't explain how Cream and Knux found out."

"Oh that's easy," the pink hedgehog said finally letting go of the blue hero she had been clinging to for the past five minutes. "I saw Cream and Cheese at the mall and she asked what I was there to buy so I told her."

"And I saw little miss pink and decided to drag hot head over here along so he could take a break from babysitting a rock to say hello," Rouge promptly answered. If the albino bat saw the irritated expression Knuckles was making right now she chose not to acknowledge it.

"Riiiiight, well Shadz we might as well see what gifts they bought."

Shadow didn't respond to his caretaker but he did turn his head when someone came to sit beside him on the couch.

"My mother helped me put together a gift basket and Cheese and I even made the card ourselves." the young rabbit said placing the basket down. She began explaining all the things it contained: a scented candle, incense, a few different types of rare teas, cookies, and a small gold bell with a red and gold ribbon that made a gentle pleasant sound when shook.

Sonic was impressed and appreciated the gift because he knew Shadow wouldn't. It seems Vanilla was very considerate in what to put in the gift basket. Amy's gift on the other hand, was simply gourmet chocolate not something Shadow would appreciate too much but still thoughtful.

The rest of the evening carried on with Sonic and Shadow (more so Sonic) enjoying the company of their friends. As usual the blue blur was the center of the conversation making jokes and laughing along with everyone else. However, he wasn't oblivious to the silent disinterest of the other hedgehog reluctant to participate in the conversation. Every now and then he would toss a question to encourage the other to speak but he always refused to give more of a response than necessary.

Now that everyone in the room had been settled down for a bit, Shadow began to separate the scents of all the mobians in the room. There was one scent that smelled like a variety of sweet spices specifically vanilla and cinnamon. They were soft and pleasant and as he imagined the spices themselves he decided it was probably the small rabbit's scent. The next one smelled a bit like motor oil and something metallic. It was a bit pungent but not overwhelmingly so: Tails. The third smelled of fresh earth and the herbal scent attached to it was strong but not unpleasant: Knuckles. The next one smelled like perfume but not the typical one Rouge wore. This one seemed to carry the essence of roses and would have been relatively friendly to Shadow's sense of smell if it wasn't for the fact that it smelled like the person wearing it dumped a bucket of it all over themselves. The overwhelming amount of perfume took away from the pleasure of the scent itself. Its presence fought with all the other scents in the room as if demanding more attention than it already had or needed. "This definitely has to be Amy's scent," the blind agent thought.

Finally there was Rouge's scent and the last scent that he had unknowingly started to become accustomed to. This scent also smelled of fresh earth but it was different. There were hints of grass and fresh rain which made the ebony picture a forest in spring right after a light storm. It reminded him of outside and he realized this scent could belong to no other except Sonic.

Shadow would never admit it but he liked the rain. There was something calming about the light rhythm of water whether it was pelting against his own fur and all around him or whether he was inside his house hearing it from outside. He also found it refreshing to run through after a week of hot weather and took pleasure in the sound his hover skates made as they sliced through water on the ground.

Maybe the sensation of cool water hitting against his fur distracting him from his own stressful thoughts was to blame. Or maybe it was the dark gray clouds above that blocked his view of the Ark when emotions he thought were long past gone resurfaced from the depths of the ocean that was his mind. Either way the scent brought him a bit of happiness and made him begin longing for the rain he secretly adored while he quietly sighed, a hand under his chin.

"Shadow..."

"Shadow..."

"Shadow!" Sonic called getting the attention of the other who was caught in a daze about skating through the rain.

"What?"

"Everyone's about to leave, just thought you should know," the blue hero said jokingly aware that he must have caught the other daydreaming.

The young rabbit gave Shadow a hug, a gesture he wasn't accustomed to getting very often, "Goodbye Mr. Shadow, I hope you get better soon!" Shadow hesitated but eventually gave her an awkward hug back.

"If you ever need me to make something to help you cope with your vision I'd be happy to help," the kitsune offered.

"No that's alright," the black hedgehog said voice low. Clearly his mind was still somewhere else and Sonic picked up on this.

"You might want to reconsider since you'll have to spend 24/7 with Sonic," Knuckles teased before Rouge dragged him off.

"Thanks for the stuff guys, Shadow and I both appreciate them," the blue blur added for emphasis knowing his rival wouldn't offer any kind of thank you. The last few goodbyes were given and once again the two unlikely housemates were left alone again.

"Well that was nice of them, considering they all came over unannounced," he began as Shadow went back to sitting on the couch. Now that the potential for anything interesting to happen had been removed he was back to being bored and a little irritable.

The blue hero had plopped down on the couch with the gift basket and chocolates in between them, the movement causing the bell in the basket to jingle softly. Sonic picked up the card Cream had made nestled amongst all the other goodies. "Dear Mr, Shadow," he started grinning at the use of Mister. "Losing your eyesight must have been horrible. I can't imagine what it must feel like to have someone else doing things for you. But I'm happy because you're lucky. You're very lucky to have Mr. Sonic who is kind enough to take care of you. Get better soon! Cream and Cheese." He finished reading the card admiring how well made it was using light brown and white paper with little designs around the border.

"I know you can't see it but it looks like Cream and Cheese really did their best on this gift basket," Sonic stated looking at the other who continued to ignore him.

"Yes well it won't do me any good because I don't plan on using any of it," the ebony hedgehog stated rather bluntly. Once again Shadow refused to accept someone else's pity and he was even less enthused about receiving gifts because of that pity. Maybe in the back of his mind buried under a pile of much more important things to think about there was a part of him that felt even this act was a bit insensitive but he couldn't find it within himself to care at the moment. Sonic however felt very different about the matter.

"Oh c'mon Shadow if this is about your ego or pride you can save it for someone who cares. It may not be something you need but it was thoughtful and a show of trying to understand something you tend to do very little of." It was one thing for Shadow to accept a gift and never use it but it was another when he just shoved off that gift especially when the person giving it only meant well. Quite frankly it was starting to piss Sonic off because the gifts were from his friends.

Shadow simply said nothing but stood to go back to his room (without walking into any walls this time). "The only thing people need to understand about me is that I'm a brick wall not a brittle shell," the blind hedgehog mumbled under his breath before leaving out of sight.

Sonic just proceeded to take a pillow from the couch and cover his face with it groaning in frustration at his rival before sighing a few moments later.

For the rest of the day Shadow stayed in his room without a word and Sonic had made up his mind that he had to do something soon to make sure that every day doesn't end like this one.

* * *

 **Next chapter will be out soon. Things will start to get interesting.**


	5. A Change of Pace

**Hey guys so my computer decided that it was no longer going to let me use the internet and the iPad I could use had a charger that heated up so much it looked like wanted to spontaneously combust so something basically didn't want me to get this chapter out. Luckily I have a new charger and everything's fine. Of course if anything serious did happen to my computer you guys can be assured that I won't lose my chapters or stories since I use google docs and not Microsoft word and can access it from anywhere.**

 **Thanks to HardSonadowFanGirl for beta reading!**

 **I still appreciate all the reviews.**

 **Tanoshimimasu**!

* * *

Chapter 5: A Change of Pace

The door to the bedroom was slightly ajar, not that the owner of the room would know but, it was exactly what a blue hedgehog was currently using to peak into the room. He opened the door slowly taking in the unmoving form half covered by sheets, the only sign of life being a chest that rose slightly with each breath.

Sonic was eager to wake the dozing hedgehog but, he couldn't help but take a moment to marvel at how peaceful the other was sleeping. It was completely unlike the volatile attitude he had been showing the past week following the visit of their friends. The black hedgehog always seemed to have enough energy to snap at him for every little thing. He got snapped at for the limited amount of meals he knew how to make, snapped at because he seemed annoyed with the sounds of every TV channel he looked at, and he was especially flipped out when he offered to help him take a shower.(Although that last one he might consider letting slide a bit depending on how you look at it...) The point was that Shadow had become downright intolerable to be around and he was sick of it.

"Today's going to be different…" he thought as he made his way over to the bedside.

"Shadow wake up," he told the other in a soft voice while gently shaking a black shoulder. It took a moment but the but the other slowly rose rubbing the edges of the bandages covering his eyes.

"What do you want hedgehog?" he said not sparing the other the attitude from being awake a little earlier than usual.

"Well sleeping beauty, I thought we could do something different today other than play "throw tantrums for Sonic to deal with". We're going to Station Square."

"What?" he said distracted from his bad mood by this declaration. "Where in Station Square? For what?"

"It's a secret," the blue hedgehog merely stated with mirth in his voice. He was a bit excited at the day he had planned out for the both of them. Too bad the ebony hedgehog couldn't see his smirk.

"Tell me where?" he demanded this time clearly not trying to participate in any joke the other may be playing.

"I told you it's a secret," Sonic replied again.

"Sonic..." the blind hedgehog called the others voice in a much softer matter which caught the blue hero off guard. But that wasn't nearly as bizarre as what the other did next.

"Y-yes?" Sonic asked curiously as he saw the others ungloved hands reach out to grasp his shoulder. The touch was light and fleeting and emerald eyes widened as those fingers slowly moved up before cupping the sides of his face. His hands were warm and the touch was intimate so much so that Sonic had to resist rubbing against those hands.

He continued his motions traveling up to feel where his ears connected to his head. Sonics defenses were so lowered by the feathery touches that nothing could've prepared him for the harsh yank on his ear that nearly tore the sensitive appendage from his head while simultaneously almost sending him sprawling into the nightstand.

Yes, he yanked it that hard.

"Ow ow ow!" the azure hedgehog said cupping the abused appendage that was still firmly in the others grip.

"Don't play games with me hedgehog I'm not in the mood,"the dark agent spoke with a commanding tone. In fact to reinforce the command he gave another not so painful yank but still enough to make the other hiss.

"Alright alright! Just let go of my ear! I'd rather go to the city in one piece not two, " he rubbed the pain in his ear sighed and looked his rival in the face. "Well I was thinking that maybe we could spend a day in the city together than sit in the house all day. And we could drop by the bookstore while we're at it."

"Sonic you know I can't-" the ebony began before being cut off abruptly.

"I know which while you refuse to let me read to you," to which Shadow snorted loudly after hearing this, "I've decided that maybe it would be better if you learned braille and I can even buy the books for you," the blue hero said as he smiled warmly.

It was a shame Shadow couldn't see the warm expression on his rivals face but somehow he could feel it. He had seen those emerald eyes gaze at him so many times in so many different ways that he could almost picture the expression. Unfortunately there was something else on the blind hedgehogs mind that he wouldn't vocalize at the minute.

"Who said I was going to the city?" he responded seeming to test Sonic patience once more.

Sonic dropped his smile for a look of frustration. " Oh c'mon Shadz, you've basically had your PMS switch turned on since day one. And after having a crappy week like this one I am not going to let you sit around the house and be a pain in the ass some more."

"And who said you have any right to make me go anywhere especially inside my own house?" he snarled not appreciating the implication that his rival was in control of him no matter the circumstance.

At that moment Sonic got right in Shadows face allowing the other to the take in the scent of fresh rain soaked earth. "As far as I'm concerned this might as well be my house, since I do the cooking, help you with everyday tasks, help you with your bandages, and put up with your bad attitude. So stop acting like a child and get ready." It was the last thing the blue hedgehog said before leaving the room, not allowing time for any kind of comeback.

Shadow was a bit stunned to say the least. His sometimes immature, reckless rival just told him that he was being childish. Looking over their past interactions over the week, he was kinda right. All he wanted to do was take his frustration out on something. All he wanted to do was stay angry because he felt life was being unfair to him. And yet despite his tantrums, here Sonic was, trying to be thoughtful and willing to spend money on him.

Shadow gripped the sheets realizing how shameful he felt after being called out on his tantrums. He may still be unsure about going to the city but at the very least Sonic deserved to receive a better attitude out of him.

He sighed and began the tedious process of getting ready…

* * *

"Oh so you finally decided to come down. That's great because I doubt you would've enjoyed being dragged downstairs," Sonic said sitting at the small kitchen island. He was slightly surprised to find out that the other had no grating remark to respond with. The dark agent stood awkwardly at the base of the stairs with his arms crossed.

"Not gonna eat breakfast?" the blue hero asked.

"We can get something in the city later," he responded. Accepting this response and happy he didn't get snapped at again. Sonic rose and took the white and red tipped blind cane and folded it up placing it in his quills.

"I've got your blind cane for when we get to Station Square. I know how much you don't like physical contact."

Shadow let a grimace come to his face at the thought of walking around with the cane, "I'm not using that ridiculously long stick when I walk around."

"Then how do you expect to keep up with where I am with people all around you? I mean I could run my mouth all day long but I doubt you'd want to rely on that to find me." He was right if Station Square was full of the usual hustle and bustle listening to fakers chatter wouldn't help much.

"Well…" Shadow began, trying to come up with a solution.

"Hold on I got an idea..." the ebony heard the other say perking his ears as heard movement to his right. He heard his rival shuffling through some paper and then he heard the ring of a bell jingling.

"Sonic?" the blind hedgehog inquired unable to see whatever idea the blue hero had.

"I tied the bell Cream gave you around my wrist. I'm not sure how much better of an alternative this will be but everybody walking around the city can't have bells like this one." He shook his wrist to jingle the small bell.

"You're fine with this right?" he asked the other hoping he wouldn't disagree and force him to do something else.

"Yeah, it's fine. Can we just go already?" the ebony hedgehog asked for once being the impatient one.

"Well isn't that a surprise? A few minutes ago you acted like you weren't gonna leave your room for anything and now you're really eager. I must be rubbing off on you," he teased.

Shadow turned away hoping his rival didn't see his embarrassed red blush. So what? Was he not allowed to be impatient every once in awhile?

While he tried to clear his thoughts over something so little, he felt a pair of hands placing something soft and warm around his neck. He reached up to feel the material and determined that it must have been a scarf.

"I found that laying around the living room. It's kinda chilly outside and even though I know you don't need it, I feel like it's still nice to have it," the blue hero smiled again warm emerald eyes beaming on the others face.

As Shadow felt the soft fabric of the red scarf again, he couldn't help but feel his face heat up a bit. Once again the sentiment was thoughtful and appreciative something he doesn't receive very often. He struggled to find words to express how he felt as a slight urge to tell the other his more personal thoughts about walking through the city blind surfaced. He cursed himself for never being good with his emotions and settled for nodding dumbly.

Sonic opened the front door and the two received their first taste of cold air, puffs of air enveloping their faces as they breathed. The wind wasn't strong but the chilly breezes made it feel colder than it was. The air bit slightly into their coats but neither flinched having been exposed to much colder temperatures before.

The blue blur immediately reached for Shadows hand to which the other suddenly snatched it away. "What do you think you're doing?" shadow asked abruptly.

"Trying to keep us from hurdling head over heals at 200 miles per hour," Sonic answered a bit jokingly. "It'll be too awkward for you to hold onto my arm while we're running since it's too long of a walk to Station Square. If you hold my hand it'll make things easier."

Shadow was reluctant to take the others hand as he was especially not looking forward to everyone in the city seeing him hold hands with his rival. Unfortunately it was Sonic's turn to be impatient as he simply rolled his eyes and grabbed the other's hand again.

"Look you don't have to hold my hand anymore once we get to the city and it'll only be a minute of running," he reassured the other when he was met with resistance. Shadow eventually let him hold it and when the other squeezed his hand, he felt the need to look into the other's face.

Chaos, how he missed the little things about his sight.

"Ready?" he said as he looked at the blind hedgehog firmly grasping his warm hand.

"Yes." And with that the two took off in a burst of speed. Maybe it was just the cold air chilling his body or the fact that he hardly ever holds hands with anyone but, he couldn't help but be acutely aware of the warmth in his rival's hand and how nice it felt.

A quick sixty seconds later and the two had entered the city to which Sonic frowned a bit at the sight.

The city was packed even more than usual.

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 **I ended up cutting the chapter in half to keep it from being too long but the next chapter I promise will have a lot more.**


	6. Deaf Ears And a Shaken Heart

**Hey guys no this story is not dead. I've just been a lazy fuck lately with me being at actually university and the fact that I had a bit of writers block on this chapter for the longest time. I've been getting the motivation to write more lately so I'll see if I can get some more done.**

 **As always Tanoshimimasu!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Deaf Ears and a Shaken Heart

Station Square was always a busy city in which you couldn't walk down the sidewalk without passing at least a dozen people beside you. With small shops and restaurants lining every street, there was always somewhere that someone needed to go. However, the crowded city seemed even more lively than usual and Sonic realized why.

Christmas lights hung from a few stores, signs advertised the holiday season, and the colors of greens and reds could be found everywhere.

 _Of course it would be packed. It was getting close to Christmas._

Sonic sighed and looked back at Shadow whose hand he was still holding. He was surprised the other hadn't reprimanded him yet for said continued hand holding but then he noticed that his charge had other things on his mind at the moment.

To say Shadow was distracted was an understatement. The boisterous environment of the city was nothing like the usually calm and quiet solace of his home. Without his sight, he was forced to take in all the sounds and scents of the city. Dozens of people walked by sometimes brushing against his fur, chatting on their phones or talking to the person next to them. His sensitive ears also picked up the loud noises of traffic driving down the streets and the many footfalls of people all around.

Sonic who happened to be right beside the other felt his hand being squeezed. In his poor adjustment to his surroundings, the blind hedgehog held his rivals hand tighter not quite as secure of himself as he thought he would be.

"Hey Shadow, are you alright?" the blue blur asked a note of concern in his voice. At his question the agent perked up a bit. He didn't want to make his discomfort known to Sonic.

"I'm fine let's just get to the bookstore and out of the crowd," he said realizing he was still holding the other's hand and nearly snatched it away.

"It should be a block or two away. Think you'll still be ok listening for the sound of the bell as we walk? " Sonic asked just for a bit more reassurance.

"Faker I'm blind not deaf, so hurry up and get moving," he berated the blue blurs concern brushing it aside again by the pride and ego of the Ultimate Lifeform.

"Alright, alright don't be so impatient or you might just turn into me," he joked as he began walking off. As he did, the bell on his wrist jingled with every step and Shadow easily followed. Despite the ebony hedgehog's refusal to be worried about, Sonic couldn't help but look over his shoulder when he was forced to step in front of his rival while maneuvering through the crowd. He tried to stay beside the other as much as possible.

As quick and easy as a short walk to the bookstore should have been, Shadow was finding that, the people passing him by seemed intent on making it difficult.

"Is that Shadow and Sonic?"

"What happened to Shadow's eyes? I wonder if it's permanent."

"I guess karma is finally catching back up to him for all the horrible things he did before."

"Don't say that! What if he hears us and attacks us?"

"I'm glad Sonic is here to help keep him in check if he does."

Shadow frowned as he walked. He knew many citizens still saw him as a danger and some would never trust him again but, he never let himself hear their pessimistic opinions. On a normal day he could walk through the city and drown out onlookers who made comments under his breath about him.

But today was not a normal day.

In fact Shadow was almost sort of afraid of the part of himself that was learning to accept this temporary lifestyle of dependence. And this lifestyle also involved being forced to listen to the citizens chatter.

He briefly wondered how the citizens would continue to see him. Would they laugh at him? Would they mock him? Could they find it in themselves to pity him or sympathize with him? It was something that had bothered him since this morning.

Focusing on the sound of the bell on his rivals wrist was becoming more difficult as his ears struggled to filter the conversations taking place around him. Luckily Sonic had took him by the arm to guide him through the door of the book store.

Shadow recognized the change in surroundings immediately. The air was much warmer and the scents of individuals including Sonic became easier to separate. It was also much quieter.

The blue hedgehog guided Shadow by the arm to a nearby shelf catching sight of a copy of the same book at home. "Here we go, maybe some of these books would be to your tastes?"

He began reading titles off to his rival and reading summaries but, it was clear Shadow was only half listening. "Sonic..." he began but didn't finish.

Sonic looked up from the book he was browsing through to catch an unreadable expression on the others face. When he spoke his voice was lower and he looked away,"Did the people outside bother you?" he asked not oblivious to some the conversations that were carried on between the citizens. He noticed that Shadow was trying to ignore them for the most part but, some gut feeling that told him it was starting to bother the other. He chose not to say anything about it though until the other brought it up in order to keep from irritating Shadow or have him brush off his feelings.

The charcoal hedgehog said nothing feeling his cheeks heat up a bit from the having the other be aware of his discomfort. Why did he feel so embarrassed about Sonic knowing about it? Was it because he wanted to deny that it bothered him and continue to carry on with his usual indifferent persona?

Whatever the reason the blue hero seemed to pick up on the awkward silence of the other as hesitation to give the obvious answer to his question. Sonic closed the book he was reading aloud and picked up two more from the shelves placing them on a table nearby.

"You know you don't have to act like Mr. Tough Guy just because I'm around and keep things bottled up. Until you get your sight back I'm responsible for you which means every time you don't feel comfortable or safe you should let me know so I change that," he said not looking the other in the face. If there was one advantage he knew he had over any other person who could try and take his place as Shadow's caretaker, it's that being his rival for so long allowed him to pick up on the similarities and differences between them one of which was their pride and reluctance to share their emotions with someone else.

Shadow simply leaned up against the bookshelf feeling a bit of a tug at his heartstrings with the others statement. He was starting to want to let go of this hardened shell he hid in to protect himself if only because Sonic continued to show that he deserved at least that much out of him.

His rival after grabbing the books they needed eventually guided him over to a table away from anyone who would notice them and give them any unwanted attention. Sonic began reading the book and explaining how to read each letter in the braille alphabet. When the dark hedgehog began having trouble feeling the small elevated letters on the book the azure hedgehog suggested he take off his glove. Shadow did so with slight hesitation and placed his fingers on the page as he searched for where to start. Sonic ended up taking the others hand to guide his fingers through the motions.

The more his bare hand met with Sonic's gloved one, the more a certain warmth would travel from his hands and up his arm. He couldn't explain the feeling but he knew it wasn't embarrassment this time. Sonic's touch was gentle just like the time he had helped him change his bandages and he didn't know what to make of it.

"So think you've memorized the feel of the alphabet now?" Sonic asked trying to decipher the expression on Shadow's face. The dark agent however didn't answer right away as he was somewhat distracted by being in physical contact again with his rival.

"Shadow, have you been spacing out on me?"

The striped hedgehog let out a strange noise as his mind finally came out of his dazed stupor and he moved his hand away from the others to rest on the table. "I-yes I think I've memorized it somewhat by now," he answered back driving an inquisitive glance out of the other. Sonic at first found the others behaviour a bit strange but, then he realized what they had been doing for the last twenty minutes and began blushing himself. He looked down at his own hand and realized they had shared somewhat intimate contact once again for that day.

What really surprised him though was that he wasn't put off by holding the other's hand so much. It felt natural and not wrong in any way. Afterall it was just to help the other learn braille right?

Feeling his awkwardness coming to the surface he decided to do what he always did when he got nervous:

"You know if this was date I think that technically makes you the girl since I'm the one buying us lunch later," he joked with a grin on his face as he waited for his rivals reaction.

"What?!" Shadow exclaimed after a moment of processing what the other had just said to him.

Sonic just chuckled wholeheartedly. If there was one thing he could never get enough of its teasing his rival.

"This is not a _date_ faker _._ " Shadow replied seriously although a part of him didn't feel satisfied with that answer. He made a mental note to burn that part of his mind in the most excruciating way possible when he had a moment.

"Suuuure it isn't," he joked. "And I'm not the coolest, bluest, hog in the city," he grinned at his rival while standing up. He began to gather the books so they could leave the bookstore.

"But you're not..." Shadow answered offhandedly hearing the other stand beside him. He quickly put his glove back on and followed the other to what he could only assume to be the front desk.

The librarian was a dalmatian who gave the two hedgehogs a rather curious glance. Without a doubt he knew the heroes standing before him, after all who didn't? However, he couldn't help but stare at the black hedgehog whose eyes were covered in bandages.

When the two left the bookstore the cold air came back and they both resisted the urge to shiver. Sonic tucked part of his muzzle underneath his own scarf before giving a glance to his rival.

"Hey Shad's I know this cafe in the city where we could get lunch and relax a bit away from the crowd," the blue hedgehog stated looking at his rival whose face had shifted back into a frown after stepping back into the cacophony of noise that is the city.

"No let's just go back home. I think I've had enough of the city for one day," he replied. And as if the world wanted to prove his point some carolers who couldn't have been more than a few feet away had begun to sing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". Anyone else might have smiled as they listened to the carolers, but Shadow only found annoyance in it. He wasn't big on celebrating holidays partly because they often involved being in the company of someone else far longer than he would have liked. And the other reason being that they reminded him too much of the memories he had made with a special someone before she died. He'd rather not celebrate any holidays at all always asking for any work that was available so Rouge couldn't drag him away to parties or other events.

"Oh c'mon Shadow don't tell me your that eager to get home right now? Besides the books you wouldn't have anything else to do unless you want to spend some _quality_ time with me," he joked clearly enjoying this little outing with the ebony hedgehog.

"Faker I don't know what your definition of quality is and I don't think I want to know. but I'd much rather be at home than be surrounded by all this holiday nonsense."

"I promise I'll make it worth your time and it's not like we'll be in the crowd anymore," the blue hero pleaded as he reached for the others arm bell jingling as he did so.

A black ear twitched at the noise but Shadow said nothing.

"Shadow-"

"Fine! We'll go to the stupid cafe but after that we're leaving and I mean that," he said turning in the general vicinity of the blue hedgehog whose grin lit up brighter than a christmas tree.

"Sweet!" he said and grasped the others hand in an excited manner dragging him through the crowd once more.

Sonic didn't even allow the other to protest the sudden contact as his warm grip firmly but gently yanked the other forward and a tinge of embarrassment lit up his cheeks. He didn't want to grab anymore attention but he was sure that several pairs of eyes were looking at him asSonic forged a way through the crowded sidewalk. When they finally stopped in front of the cafe Shadow was ready to rip into the other about their little display but Sonic was either oblivious to his look or didn't care.

He opened the door for the other and gave him a nudge to let the other know he could walk through. This time the scent of vanilla, cinnamon, and hot chocolate hit his nose and he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

The cafe was of average size, nothing too large, or too small, but cozy. A few christmas bulbs hung from the ceiling, a small decorated tree sat in the window, and christmas carols played in the background just loud enough to be heard.

The two hedgehogs quickly found a seat at a booth in front of one of the cafes windows. Sonic was glad that it wasn't packed. A waiter came over and asked what they would like to drink and the hero suggested hot chocolate for both of them since the other decided to respond with a grunt when asked what he wanted to drink.

"This place has awesome hot chocolate especially around the holidays," the blue hedgehog began attempting to make small conversation as he looked down at a menu. "Is there anything you want?" he asked smiling warmly. Unfortunately the lack of a sight made it hard for those warm emerald eyes to pierce the cold hardened exterior of the black hedgehog.

"I wouldn't know, it's not like I can see the menu or anything," Shadow retorts, tone laced with annoyance as he sat back in the booth arms crossed.

"Oh...sorry," Sonic says scratching behind his ear nervously as he realized his mistake. Luckily the waiter came back with the hot chocolate. After she left again the hero took a sip of his beverage. He picked up the menu about to read off the choices to his rival when he noticed the other was lightly rubbing his bandages again with a blank expression.

"How are your eyes doing?" the hero asked already making a note to change them the moment they got home.

As if realizing he was caught doing something red handed he decided to have his hands wrap around the hot chocolate he hadn't touched focusing on the heat of the mug. "There fine, just sore," he answered then after a moment, "I'm not a child you constantly have to check on. I can handle a little pain."

"I didn't say you were. I was just asking because...you know what just forget about it," Sonic had already had this conversation with the other earlier, but he couldn't help but feel like it fell on deaf ears. He went back to looking at the menu trying to find something they would both like as he tried to push away his own frustration.

Shadow took a sip of his hot chocolate a tinge of regret hanging on the edge of his mind. Why did the feel bad for acting so defensive all of a sudden. The other was merely inquiring about the state of his health not belittling him for some kind of weakness. He felt himself becoming angry but at what? Was he angry that he was so vulnerable around the other at the moment or angry that he couldn't make things easier for them both by being more open about his feelings?

 _Why does spending any amount of time around faker irritate me so much?_

"I'm going to the bathroom," the dark agent spoke getting up suddenly.

"Huh?" the other hedgehog spoke dumbfoundedly. "Do you need some-"

"NO!" he said a bit loudly causing a few heads to turn in the cafe. "I mean just tell me where it is and I'll be fine." He really didn't want his rivals help in going to the bathroom but mainly he wanted a moment to get rid of his own irritation. Alone.

"It's around the corner the door on the right- watch out for the tables and chairs though," Sonic said searching the others face for anything strange. Unfortunately his prying gaze was only met with what would be a glare sensing that the frown on the others muzzle was the only part of the expression he could make out.

Without another word the other left letting his fingers brush over the thankfully empty chairs and tables until he came up against a door and pushed it open. He came up to one of the sinks gripping the cool ceramic. He couldn't see his reflection in the mirror above it, but he didn't care. He just wanted a minute to gather his thoughts to question the things about himself he thought he understood.

Why did he even care that his behaviour may have upset Sonic or not? He knew that in terms of cooperating for at least his most fundamental needs that he had been less than well...cooperative, but why did he feel bad for defending his vulnerability with some kind of snide comment. He didn't want others to think he was incapable just because he lost his eyesight. He was still the Ultimate Lifeform afterall and the Ultimate Lifeform wasn't vulnerable...right?

For some reason he thought of his rival giving him a wide grin with endearing emerald eyes as if the world wasn't a place where murderers, and rapists and puppy killers existed. He quickly tried to push the image out of his mind, but to no avail. Sonic had a knack for having an infectious personality and charisma that could put a speaker for animal rights at a convention for animal rights to shame. Shadow had always felt that the overwhelming positivity his rival gave off to be naive, unenlightened, and ignorant but over the past week it seems that had started to change. The more kindness the blue hedgehog had shown towards him the more he had secretly come to enjoy it. But he never wanted to show it because-

The charcoal hedgehog couldn't finish his thought as someone had just come in through the bathroom door. He tried to refrain from his instinctual need to look up seeing as he couldn't see so instead his ear twitched at the sounds of someone walking around him. There was an awkward pause before the other person spoke, but Shadow had a feeling that the look he might have been getting wasn't friendly.

"Shadow...the hedgehog," the other began pronouncing his name with uncertainty before realizing that this indeed was the person he was addressing.

"What happened to your eyes project?" the other sneered finding the others blindness to be rather amusing.

Shadow growled at the way the other questioned him. There was only one group of individuals who would address him in such a manner. "That is none your concern. Just know that my lack of eyesight won't hinder me in snapping your neck if you try anything."

"Oh really it wouldn't happen to do anything with your mission to apprehend Luther Lobo would it?" the other asked with a cruel smirk.

"How do you know about my mission to capture Lobo?" the hedgehog asked twisting his head with a snarl on his muzzle. Somehow he had the feeling that his ability to intimidate this person human or mobian was rather ineffective being covered in bandages.

"A lot of GUN units have passing around rumors that the Ultimate Lifeform had been injured pretty badly during his mission. But knowing how much a freak you are I had to see to believe."

"Then you came here just to mock me? Is that it?"

"On the contrary I'm off duty and I didn't even know you here, but since I have the opportunity listen here..." he started with a rather dark tone. "I remember when you were working with Black Doom and I remember all the murders you committed too. I had a good friend who was in the same unit that I was. We had lunch together, went on missions together, he was probably one of the best friends I had ever had. And then you came along with those aliens and murdered him in cold blood without a single shred of remorse. I don't care what anyone says about you making up for your wrongs by saving the world. In my eyes you are nothing more than a cold blooded killer and you know what I'm glad Lobo screwed up your eyes. The only thing I regret is that it wasn't me causing you pain and making you scream."

The agents patience had already began running thin when he realized that the person next to him was a GUN soldier, but hearing him talk down to him like this broke whatever self control he had.

In a fit a anger he lashed out in the general direction of the other person only to meet with air. It was lucky for the soldier that he was actually not right next to the hedgehog, but rather a few sinks away. He flinched a bit when the other made a move to attack, but when he realized that the others blindness kept him from bodily harm, instead of running he could only laugh at such a pathetic display. Laugh as he saw a sight few could see and live to talk about.

An awful feeling began well up in the heart of the Ultimate Lifeform. The kind of feeling he felt only when his insecurities took hold and his vulnerability became noticeable and he opened up to others even a little…

The same reason he couldn't accept the kindness from his rival…

Fear.

* * *

Back outside the bathroom Sonic had finished his hot chocolate and the waiter had come back to see if they were ready to order, but he had turned her down to wait for Shadow to come back. He looked at the others hot chocolate that had barely been touched and was no longer hot like it would tell him why his rival was taking so long in the bathroom.

 _He probably needed my help after all. I wonder if he got lost on his way back._

Sonic gave a small smirk at his own joke imagining a few scenarios that might involve coming to the aid of his rival. The look on his face would have been priceless. Unfortunately his playful and perhaps somewhat suggestive thoughts had been interrupted by the sound of something breaking. The few people who were in the cafe and even the employees had all looked to the bathroom after hearing the sound.

Mirthful thoughts of teasing his rival turned into those of concern as he quickly made his way to the door to make sure the other was alright. The moment he opened the door a black blur had whizzed past knocking him and a few tables and chairs down with him as it went out the door.

Sonic was dumbfounded for a moment, but quickly snapped out of his stupor as he realized that the most important person in his care had just run out into the city _blind._

The hero shot to his feet and left a of bit money at their table and grabbed the bag of books as he bolted out through the door into the frigid air once more. "Shadow! Shadow!" he called emerald eyes looking around frantically for his charge, but he couldn't see through or around the crowded streets.

For once Sonic felt that the cold feeling that was slowly gripping his insides had nothing to do with the weather.

It was the fact that Shadow was nowhere to be found.


	7. Hedgehogs on a Train

**And here I am back with another one. I'm pretty grateful to all of you who are still staying faithful to this story. It's funny how having more work to do this semester seems to motivate me into doing things I didn't have the motivation to do consistently. Anyway I hear the there may be a reveal for the upcoming IDW Sonic comics soon so I'm definitely looking forward to that. Hopefully we get some amazing characters in the new comics along with some awesome plots.**

 **Tanoshimimasu!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Hedgehogs on a Train**

Sonic began walking down the sidewalk frantically for his ebony furred rival with wide eyes. He pushed around other people who were oblivious to his distressful state, enjoying the holiday cheer. Where could he start looking? He couldn't be at any of his regular places like Club Rouge because he wouldn't know how to navigate the city in his current state.

 _He couldn't have gone too far…_ Sonic thought turning a corner into a new crowd as a gust of cold wind hit him in the face. But as he searched, he found that trying to find a single mobian in the crowded city, even if they had a distinct look, was proving to be difficult. Eventually the blue hero became fed up with weaving through the thick crowds and decided to get a birds eye view.

He went into a nearby alley and wall jumped until he reached the top of one of the buildings. He began scanning the crowds from above, jumping from one building to another hoping to find his visually impaired charge.

"Damn it Shadow! Why did you have to go and run off!?" he yelled out in frustration to no one in particular, his voice drowning in the noise of the city below him.

Sonic stood there for a moment watching his warm breath in white puffs as he took more glances down at the city. He leapt to another building top trying to scan from above until he stopped. Images of a blind Shadow getting hit by a car or being taken advantage of by some of the more grudge holding citizens came to mind. Sonic knew that Shadow was strong, but without his sight there's no guarantee that his rival would come out of those situations completely unscathed. His mind decided that it wanted to remind him of what the agent looked like on that day when they both set out to stop Luther Lobo. The hero had to fight back a sickening feeling of what it might be like to find Shadow in an even worse condition. Without realizing it, his heartbeat and breathing had sped up a bit and he started pacing back and forth on the rooftop of the building he was currently on. It was only the sound of the jingling bell on his wrist that allowed him to snap out of his edge of panic like state.

He held his wrist up to his face to examine the bell before slightly shaking his head. He _had_ to keep himself together. He _will_ find Shadow and no amount of panic was going to bring him any closer to accomplishing that goal. Sonic took a deep breath of cold air and refocused his nerves like he'd done so many times during dangerous battles swearing that he will find the black hedgehog even if he had to search every block, alley and store ten tens over.

* * *

Shadow wasn't sure how far he had run or when exactly his burst of speed had turned into a walk, but he did know that he was probably still somewhere in the city considering that there was still a decent amount of chatter going on around him.

He grit his teeth as that mocking laugh still rung in his ears. How could he let himself be so easily provoked and by some random GUN soldier no less! He just wanted to get away from it. He hated the citizens and their obnoxious chatter, hated how loud and crowded the city was but, most of all, he hated his blindness even more if that was possible. And now he was denied something else…

His composure…

He could feel his emotions slipping from him, his ability to stay calm and shrug off others opinions or thoughts fading away with each day that he spent blind. It seems fate was determined take more from him than just his eyes, but rather a plethora of other things along with it.

Shadow would have continued his rather depressing thoughts if it hadn't been for the sounds car horns blaring in his ears. If it wasn't for his reflexes it would have lead to a rather nasty accident. The black blur moved away from the loud sound as quickly as he could avoiding danger for the moment.

Had he been walking in the street? He questioned himself realization making itself as aware as an angry rattlesnake gearing up to strike. He was alone in the city... _blind._ Sonic had been left back at the cafe and was probably frantically searching for him at the moment. He reached out his hand feeling it make contact with something hard and cold, taking relief that he had found a wall to lean against.

Fear began to eat at him slowly again as he realized that he wouldn't know when Sonic would be able to find him. He cursed himself knowing that the overcrowded Station Square would undoubtedly make it so much harder for him to be found.

* * *

With winter in full spring night came quickly and the crowds had significantly lessened. Stores with their Christmas decorations and light up accessories added to the already luminescent city.

Amongst the few citizens who still walked the streets was a distraught Sonic. He was freezing because of the many hours he had spent outside and exhausted mentally from his search. He had searched the city several times over using his speed, but always came to a dead end. He had started asking the citizens if they had seen the blind hedgehog, but anytime someone pointed him to a general direction he still came up empty.

Sonic stopped walking in front of one of the store windows to look at his tired visage in the glass. It was a gift shop that sold a variety of wares like plushed animals, cards, small toys, sweets and typical souvenirs for people visiting Station Square. It wasn't that the city was a popular tourist attraction or anything, but it was no known secret that Sonic and his friends typically lived in and were often found hanging around the city. With the blue blur pretty much having celebrity status and maybe more, the shop along with a few others had used the sales strategy to sell merchandise following Sonic the Hedgehog and his feats of heroism.

It was in this particular shop that Sonic saw a shelf lined with plushed versions of himself and under it a row lined with Shadow plushies. The hero would have loved to tease his rival about how adorable he was as a stuffed toy, but the likeness of the toy only reminded him of what he had failed to do. His thoughts were distracted by a small child grabbing one of the Shadow plushies while his mother looked on with a bit of distaste: first because she didn't exactly approve of her child being so excited about the black hedgehog and second because she didn't want to buy another toy.

Sonic smiled a bit as the child seemed reluctant to put the toy down squeezing it in a big hug with a large smile.

 _I wonder what it would be like to hold Shadow like that and be happy…_

Sonic had to figuratively reign his mind back in as his thoughts turned into a direction he hadn't expected. He wanted to hold Shadow…?

"Heh, the cold must be freezing my brain cells or something..." he said aloud, but even he could tell that his attempt to come up with a solution to this sudden desire was a load of dog crap. As his breath fogged up the glass obscuring his vision of what lay on the other side, the hedgehog realized that he had been dawdling a bit too much. Just as he straightened himself to leave, the front door of the gift shop opened and out came the child and his parent he had just been watching outside the window.

"But I want it!" the kid whined looking like he was on the verge of tears. He would have continued to go into his little temper tantrum if he hadn't saw Sonic standing there five feet from him.

"Mommy, mommy, it's Sonic!" he shouted running towards the hedgehog and hugging him before she could stop him.

"Hey kiddo," Sonic replied smiling a bit. Even though he was still worried about Shadow the grin on the little boys face as he hugged him filled him with a happiness that lifted his spirit.

"I'm so sorry Sonic, my sons just gets really excited any time he sees you or your friends around the city," the mother apologized. "He saw Shadow earlier and now he gets to see you."

Sonic turned his attention from the kid still hugging him to his mother in hope. "You saw Shadow earlier? Where?" the concerned hero questioned hoping that maybe this was the tip off he needed to find his dark brooding counterpart.

The mother was a bit surprised to see the hedgehogs demeanor change from one of friendliness to one of urgency and concern…? It was odd because Shadow the hedgehog wasn't the kind of person that you worried about, but rather usually the people who were in the dark mobians line of fire. Then again the black hedgehog did have bandages on his eyes stumbling around muttering curses whenever he tripped or ran into something. "Yes I believe we saw him heading towards the train station."

"Thanks, that means a ton to me really," Sonic said carefully letting go of the kid and dashing off in a split second. For some reason he had a gut feeling that this time he would definitely find Shadow.

* * *

Walking around the city with several bruises from not so friendly encounters with concrete, Shadow had continued to stumble onward. He thought about maybe just staying in one place and waiting to see if Sonic would find him, but he was far too impatient to stand around like that.

Maybe Sonic wasn't joking, maybe he was picking up a few habits from his rival.

Besides the occasional fall here and there and snickering from someone in the background, he had managed to keep his thoughts centered around how he would respond to his rival when he found him. Would he be angry with his impulsive behaviour, or maybe extremely annoyed for making him search for him? He wasn't sure, but either way he figured he was in for a ear full when he finally was found.

Just as the dark agent was already thinking about the inevitable argument he was going to have with his blue counterpart, his sensitive ears picked up the sound of something rumbling all around him. He tried to pinpoint the source of the noise and the vibrations under his feet, but it was as if sound was bouncing off the walls in an enclosed space.

The blaring noise of metal wheels on tracks grew louder and louder making the blind hedgehog wince. Now there wasn't a doubt in his mind where he was. How did he make it onto the tracks and without anyone warning him?

He felt the metal rails under his feet and felt his shoulder brush against a cold brick surface. _A tunnel?_ The black hedgehog contemplated the odds of being in this exact situation. It honestly wouldn't be that big of a deal if it wasn't for the fact that the vibration and sound in a closed space made it hard to tell which direction the train is coming from. The black hedgehog cursed his blindness for the umpteenth time. If only he could see where the light from the train...

He had a 50/50 chance of getting out of this without needing any more bandages than the ones on his face. The more gruesome of the two outcomes he tried to put out of his mind as he refused to let himself cave in to fear. He had been in worse conditions before after all. In fact Shadow was pretty sure he could survive being hit by a train, but even so the dark agent was pretty sure he wouldn't even be allowed to leave his own room for several weeks much less go on any runs through the city.

The noise was almost unbearable now as Shadow realized his ears had become so much more sensitive than before. TIme was running out to make a decision. He either out ran the train or got ran over by it. He tensed in anticipation of pain and suddenly wished that Sonic was there. If there were any doubts before about how angry the other would be with him for getting himself in this situation there certainly weren't any now. Forget being annoyed, if he came out this sensible enough that blue idiot was probably going to tear him a new one _verbally._

The noise was drawing nearer…

Hesitation froze his movements and adrenaline pumped through his veins. He vaguely wondered what expression his rival would make if he found him in pieces. What emotion would those emerald eyes be dominated by if they found him bleeding and broken.

The vibrations were becoming stronger…

Time felt like it slowed to a crawl and in that instant, the ebony thought he heard the jingling of a bell, for just a moment.

 _Faker?_

And in that same moment the black hedgehog felt himself being lifted up and around the waist by a strong arm. _Speaking of the blue devil..._

Sonic had just managed to find the other and grab him under his arm in front of the speeding train before jumping to the top and finding something to grip onto with his other hand. The velocity of the train had painfully jerked him backward, but he and his charge had managed to escape any danger of being ran over. He was lucky the tunnel ceiling was just high enough that he could pull off that little stunt. The train was way too close for him to make a quick turn especially with so little room to maneuver in.

"Grab onto my neck!" the blue hero shouted over noise of the train and the rush of the air. For once Shadow didn't argue with him carefully gripping his savior until he was secure. Unfortunately, the ceiling of the train was too low for either of them to run on top of which means it would be better for them both to try and get inside.

"Sonic..." Shadow began without knowing how to finish his sentence feeling a bit a guilt. Luckily he didn't have to.

"Nope, I don't want to hear it right now. You can tell me how awesome I am later but right now I'm currently in the middle of letting the frigid air cool the massive fit of anger I was just about to have," he responded curtly. The noise of the train and the constant blast of air made it so that he had to shout to be heard, but Shadow could catch the hint that his blue counterpart was indeed very angry with him. So rather than trying to make some kind of conversation he decided to be silent which for the first time felt rather awkward since he usually enjoyed the quiet.

Holding onto the top of the train belly down emerald eyes looked around him for more things to grip. Luckily moving off the top of the train car wasn't as perilous as he made it look easily maneuvering onto a small section of space with railing in between two cars.

Using a few of his quills he managed pick the lock on the door before firmly grabbing the wrist of the other hedgehog and pulling him to his seat. The hero and the agent sat across from each other in silence once more, the only noises audible being that of the train and the sound of Sonic rubbing the fur on his arms from the cold.

"So are you just gonna sit there and imagine what it would be like to stare off into space or do I have to start a conversation like I always do?" Sonic asked emerald eyes kept from catching fire only because of the others inability to see his gaze.

"I see you're not angry enough to keep from making jokes," Shadow said offhandedly. It was more of a side comment on the situation rather than a response meant to address the other. If he had his eyes he would be looking off to the side instead of looking at Sonic but, unfortunately he had to settle for simply turning his head away.

Sonic scrutinized what part of his rivals expression he could see that wasn't covered by bandages before he responded. "Yeah and you're about the biggest joke I've ever seen right now."

"What?!" Shadow said taken off guard a bit by the insult.

"Ultimate Lifeform my ass. Your always trying to prove how tough or superior you are to everyone because you hold so much pride in that title and then you go to the bathroom for all of five minutes and run out faster than a prom queen who just found out her boyfriend had been cheating on her for some skank."

The dark agent tensed a bit at that observation. He began to think back to that conversation he had in the bathroom with that GUN soldier and balled his fists. This subtle movement didn't go unnoticed by his blue companion.

"What happened back there Shadow? While you do have your temper, I don't take you as the type of person who lets things upset you like that so easily." the blue blur questioned.

"I..."the ebony hedgehog began as he found himself taking a breath as he hesitated. Despite all that had happened it still wasn't in his nature to divulge some of his more private feelings and emotions. His tongue felt as if it was too thick to fit in his mouth and all he could manage to do was sink further into the cushion of the seat and twiddle his thumbs. Pride was turning out to be one his biggests vices lately.

Sonic just sighed and looked away finding the dingy old floor of the train to be more deserving of his inquisitive gaze than the uncomfortable hedgehog sitting across from him.

"You lost your scarf you know. I don't know if you realized," he said after a few moments opting to change the subject to hopefully alleviate the others discomfort. In response Shadow suddenly reached up to the area around his neck to realize that he had indeed lost his scarf. It probably came flying off while he was running out of the cafe into the city. To his surprise though he felt a weight occupy the space next to him before he felt a fabric being wrapped around his neck and a presence leaning against his side slightly. Instinctively he turned his head to look at the only other person in the room who could have done that but, instead had to settle for inhaling the scent of fresh rain and grass again.

Sonic had wrapped his own scarf around them both. "Your bandages are peeling off too," he said using his left hand to remove the dirty old bandages while the other mentally struggled to find words.

"Sonic I don't-" he began when he felt his cheeks heat up because of the closeness.

"Don't what? Don't want to be treated like a child? Well too bad I'm honestly past caring at this point," he said easily pulling away the loosened gauze. The scarring on his muzzle was looking a little better albeit still a bit gnarly but, that wasn't what caught Sonic's attention. It was being able to fully see the others face after what felt like ages.

The black hedgehogs eyes weren't actually red at the moment but, rather grayed out, their pigment lost after his eyes were damaged. "Nows there's a face I haven't seen in a while. " Sonic couldn't help but, genuinely smile at the other. They say that eyes are a window to the soul and if that reigns true, then Shadow's eyes were an enormous glass door.

All the insecurity, all the frustration, all the discomfort and fear seemed to bare itself in the midst of the blue hero. It was so strange. Without the dominant red in the others eyes, he could genuinely see the emotions that at times he may have doubted the other had.

 _So this is what you hide behind those eyes…_

Sonic contemplated saying more, but he felt it wasn't necessary. Shadow may not have been ready to talk to him but, he couldn't hide the story to be told in those orbs. Those eyes that held so many unspoken words that told him all he needed to know and for now that was all he needed to be satisfied.

It was at this point that the exhaustion of today's excursion had finally caught up to the both of them. And as the train continued on, its two unlikely passengers had nodded off into sleep leaning contently against each other.

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 **Was feeling a bit iffy in some parts of this chapter but I'm way more satisfied with some of the things I managed to come up with in this one as well. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.**


	8. To Kindle the Flame

**Hello again fellow readers. This chapter took so long to come out and I'm sorry about that. Part of the reason was because I had school but the main reason was that I was experiencing some writers block for second part of this chapter. Everytime I wrote something I wasn't satisfied with it so I kept rewriting it. I'd keep coming back to it only to get frustrated and leave it be again. Part of me was also worried that this chapter might have screwed up the pacing a bit. Eventually I just said screw it and tried to write a halfway decent chapter especially when several of you keep writing reviews that really really enjoy it. Also I apologize if it feels like the quality of this chapter isn't as great as the others but just know that now that I'm past it I can focus on future chapters that will hopefully be much better.**

 **Tanoshimimasu!**

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The train had finally stopped with a small jolt prompting its passengers to leave. Shadow had woken up first and realized the warmth on his shoulder was Sonic still sleeping. His sensitive ears picked up on the light snoring and he couldn't stop himself from smiling a bit.

He gently, but firmly shook the others shoulder until he drowsily woke up yawning. For a moment he was confused as to why he wasn't looking at his own room before remembering everything that happened yesterday.

"The train stopped. We should probably get off now," Shadow said staring straight ahead.

"Hmm oh yeah right," was Sonic's response as he stretched and took Shadow by the arm leading him outside to the train. Just before he lead the other out he made sure to wrap the green scarf around the others neck before proceeding to exit the train.

The train station was noisy, crowds of people carrying on conversations about visiting their loved ones for the holiday season. The atmosphere was cheery and light not that Shadow felt like it lifted his spirits any.

He was annoyed with himself at the moment not because of his blindness for once, but because of the conversation or lack thereof that he had with his rival yesterday. Was his pride really worth the trouble he was giving Sonic? The longer they spent in each others company the more he was becoming likely to answer no.

"Must of stopped at a small town. We're pretty close to Empire City," Sonic said looking at a sign that read Kaveri Springs.

"Then it should only take a minute or two to get back to Station Square," Shadow replied trying to resist the urge to squeeze the others hand. The agent was eager to get back home and spend some time alone with his thoughts.

"True but why rush home? We're here now so we might as well make the most of it."

Shadow resisted the urge to groan hearing the enthusiasm in the others voice, but he kept his thoughts to himself knowing it was his own fault for nearly getting hit by a train.

Kaveri Springs was nothing compared to the city. There were no tall buildings or large crowds of people on crowded sidewalks to shove through. Some of the buildings in fact seemed quite old, some with cracked and worn plastering that had been beaten several times by the elements. Cracked concrete lined some of the sidewalks where age had taken its toll. Despite the old and aged buildings Kaveri seemed to be a cozy little town as the residents had also put up holiday decorations expressing their good cheer.

"Why do you do that?" Shadow asked as Sonic continued to lead him to what he could only imagine was more of the town. There were tinges of a herbal scents riding on the cold wisps of air but rather than question it or allow his thoughts to linger on his pride issues he decided to let the conversation wander into new territory.

"Do what?" Sonic said grinning as he searched for the nearest store.

"Go with everything in the moment like you don't have a care in the do you act like you don't have a shred of concern or thought about any consequences that come with your actions?"

Sonic stopped for a moment sensing that this was something Shadow genuinely wanted an answer to rather than just giving some quick response and brushing it off. At the same time he found it interesting that the other chose this particular moment to bring it up.

He looked at his currently not red eyed rival who had an unreadable expression on his face. It was like there were pieces of several things there, but not enough of any one thing to make sense of.

"I mean why not? Isn't it better to live in the moment than spend most of your time worrying about everything that _could_ happen?" Sonic replied trying to gauge the others reaction. "Besides even if something bad does happen I'll try to get through it like I always have and no matter amount of worrying will ever change how hard I try. Life's too-"

"Short? For me it won't be as long as there isn't anything out there strong enough to kill me," the dark hedgehog responded already trying to imagine what he'd be doing with his life when Sonic and all his friends were dead. For some reason the thought of not having Sonic around made him feel a bit sad. His face must have reflected a frown because Sonic certainly took notice before he responded.

"You know there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about what would happen if Egghead managed to make a robot that could kill me..." the blue hero started off looking away as he did so. "I'm always acting confident about every mission to stop the doctor but I know that one day I could slip up and lose my life and then Tails would be on his own again."

Shadow noticed the change in his voice, lacking in any jocular or sarcastic tones that he had heard so often.

"If it was just me I wouldn't even care if I died trying to save the world, but leaving Tails alone is something that I can't even think about. I don't know when that time will come, but if I spent one day dreading the day of my death and worrying about every little thing then that's one less day of happy memories for Tails and anyone else to remember me by. "

The charcoal hedgehog who found himself listening intently was honestly surprised by such an honest response. It wasn't egotistical, cocky, or fake but something that Sonic himself had probably spent a lot of time thinking about.

He didn't see it but Sonic had turned his head to look back at Shadow with a smile on his face. "So I try to put all my worries behind me and stay positive because I feel it's the best thing I can do."

" _He's choosing to put everyone else's feelings and perception of him above his own life. He wants to be remembered as a symbol of confidence and positivity that his friends can look back on when he's gone…"_ Shadow thought to himself. Suddenly his entire perception of the person standing in front of him had changed in the blink of a blind eye. Sonic wasn't some cocky brat obsessed with being faster than anyone else. He was a selfless person to which the entirety of his existence even his personality was bent on putting those around him first.

Selflessness…just like somebody else he used to know before they too put another's life before their own.

"Did that answer your question?" Sonic asked seeing emotion play across his blind charges face before becoming unreadable again.

"Yes, it did." He said simply already feeling the other take his hand as the bell on his wrist jingled again.

"Good because I kinda want to treat those wounds on your face again and make sure they don't get infected or anything."

Sonic lead the other into a small store and down one of the aisles that had medical supplies. While he gathered the things he needed he wondered if his rival may have been secretly angry at him all this time because of the lack of regard for his own life. It never occurred to him until the other asked him that question earlier that Maria's lack of regard for her life might have upset Shadow in some way he didn't quite understand.

"Hey," the blue speedster started off trying to get the attention of the other, "I know sightseeing isn't really your thing, granted there really isn't anything for you to see right now even if it was, but why don't we spend some time at the hot springs here?" he asked hoping to do something that'll help both of them relax and put their inner worries aside.

"Hot springs? Why?" Shadow responded like there was some logical reason not to.

"To relax of course. Like lots of people do especially during this time of the year because its do know what hot springs are don't you?" Sonic asked curiously.

Shadow frowned and made a face like he had been offended. "Of course I know what it is. It's a spring of naturally hot water typically heated by subterranean volcanic activity."

"Ok ok no need to get defensive," Sonic said grinning as he both simultaneously took the others hand and walked to the counter to pay for the bandages, alcohol wipes, and salve. Moments later the two were walking back into the chilly air, Sonic with a small bag in tow.

 _I'm holding his hand again…_

The dark hedgehog's mind began to wander back to that rather obvious piece of information as the other looked for an inn for the both of them to stay at. He was trying to do his best to keep a straight face as he continued to be lead around, the bell on his caretakers wrist jingling lightly.

* * *

Gently moving water…

Lightly tapping footsteps…

The strong scent of herbs…

The slight chill in the air…

These sensations were like a craving that you couldn't resist to Shadow. It was both calming and satisfying and helped to put his nerves at ease. His rival had checked them in at a inn and it wasn't long before the both of them had begun preparing to take a dip in the herbal springs.

"I'm surprised your so willing be near the water much less submerge yourself in it," Shadow stated as he listened to the sounds of what he assumed was the other removing the last articles of clothing from his body.

"You'd be surprised at how good it feels to take a dip in a hot spring after a grueling fight against killer robots. Besides, it's not that deep and you can bet I'll be staying on the side where my feet can touch the ground."

Once Shadow himself had removed his own gloves and shoes he felt his caretaker grab his hand again and lead him to the hotspring. Sonic was first to step in the slightly more than warm water making sure that his blind charge didn't slip and fall as he stepped down.

The two had found a rock to lean against as they let the heat of the springs seep in into their slightly chilled fur.

"So do you like it?" Sonic asked after a moment smiling slightly as he looked at the others face.

"It's exactly what I expected it to be, hot water."

"Wow and here I was just trying to get you to enjoy something," he said a little offhandedly hoping that that his rival could just enjoy the simplicity of something.

"How could I when I've pretty much lost nearly rest of my dignity before we got here," he said without really thinking.

Sonic gave a bit of sigh before responding, "Well for starters maybe you could start thinking about what you've gained instead of what you've lost. You've kind of always been like that even when I first met you back in Station Square. You were so caught up what had been taken from you that it took the nearly destroying the world before you realized that what you were doing wasn't right and you had better things to look forward too." Sonic began scratching his wet ear in exasperation thinking about whether it would be a good idea or not to bang his head against a rock to deal with his annoyance towards Shadow.

Shadow turned his head in the direction of the other in his own annoyance and slight curiosity. "And what is it that I could I have possibly gained that would be worth acknowledging?"

"Me!" Sonic said suddenly surprising even himself. With this exclamation he also felt his cheeks go red and he sunk down a little further in the water when he realized the other implications that his answer has.

"What?" the charcoal hedgehog stated a bit dumbfoundedly.

"I mean...you've gained friends like Rouge and I who care about you. Doesn't that mean anything to you considering how lonely you used to act after you were freed from the Ark?"

It did in fact. He went from feeling dread and sadness at the loss of Maria to something more. Was it happiness or joy? Shadow was sure those words aren't exactly what he would use to describe his feelings towards the other mobians. But then he lost his sight a few weeks ago and he definitely felt as if something had changed between him and Sonic.

More and more he was beginning to experience a warm sensation when interacting with the other hedgehog. It was subtle, endearing, but also curious and different. Was it merely the contentment of company or was it something more… He could try and find out now.

"Sonic," he began replaying what the next sequence of events that would occur in the next few moments would look like.

"Yea?" Sonic answered turning to look at the other anticipating a response to his inquiry earlier. To his curiosity he wasn't met with words but rather the others hand searching for his face. If felt like time had come to slow as Sonic watched that black furred hand reach out to him. The blue hero leaned in a bit closer allowing the hand to touch his fawn muzzle. It was a curious and venturous touch, like the other wasn't quite sure of what he was about to do next.

Shadow let his hand trail its way slightly up the others muzzle as if reassuring himself that this was Sonic he was indeed touching and he moved in close.

It was so strange having Shadow face him as if to look into his eyes because he knew the other was blind and yet those colorless orbs seemed like they were trying to peer into his soul. Before he could begin to question the others motives though, he felt a pair of lips meet his own and heat the likes of which did not come from the hotsprings spread across his body like wildfire.

When the kiss ended it felt as if the sparks had died out too quickly and Sonic was left in both confusion and disappointment.

"Strange, the book I read described kissing like an act that encourages sexual desire." Shadow stated.

 _Huh?..._

"But what I felt doesn't exactly feel arousing in the least bit," Shadow continued as if he was making some kind of scientific observation.

 _What?..._

"Excuse me? What book?" Sonic asked not quite understanding what had just happened.

"I read a book once called "The Anatomy of Love". It explained that when two beings express sexual interest in one another that they kiss and that the sensual act of kissing elicits further acts of desire and leads to mating. That is supposed to be love I think.

Sonic was quiet for a moment as he stared at the other in disbelief and then it hit him.

"DID YOU JUST KISS ME AS PART OF SOME KIND OF SOCIAL EXPERIMENT?!"

"And what's wrong with doing that? Wouldn't it be the most accurate way of determining if I have some kind of sexual interest in mating with you?"

Sonic just facepalmed. "Just stop talking Shadow please."

Shadow looked as if he wanted to continue the conversation but decided against it. He was honest when he said that he didn't feel any kind of sexual desire to be with Sonic after the kiss, but rather something else. It was that warm feeling he'd been experiencing lately except stronger and deeper, a sense of longing and contentment. It was something he'd never truly felt before, but he knew he wanted to do it again as if to reassure himself that he actually felt this way.

Sonic on the other hand was still reeling from the whole thing. Of all the things he might have been prepared to do today, kissing his rival was not one of them. When his embarrassment finally came down to a reasonable level he tried to make sense of the sensation that coursed through him at the touch of the others lips against his own. Lately he was beginning to realize that his interest in his rival had been growing, but despite that he couldn't quite see himself in a relationship with the dark agent. The mere thought nearly made him laugh because it seemed so ridiculous.

Then again…

If Shadow was trying to make sense of his own feelings by kissing him it must mean that he's feeling something towards him.

He snuck a glance at the other who seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts rather than focusing on him before looking away again.

 _Talk about something in the water._

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 **Short chapter but its better than nothing.**


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